Discovering a dead body can be disturbing. We must respond carefully, with sensitivity and common sense.
this UIAA Declaration on Hiking, Climbing, and MountaineeringPublished in 2024, it was created in part to develop what the UIAA considers to be the best generally accepted code of conduct. This includes the ethics and style we follow when climbing, as well as the environmental and social considerations we should be aware of. The excerpt quoted above is from “Balancing risk, success and failure'.
Partly due to the effects of climate change, finding dead bodies – especially on the upper slopes of mountains – is becoming increasingly common. Thanks largely to advances in camera phone technology, documenting these discoveries has never been easier. In some cases, documentation may be necessary and warranted. It has also led to an increase in content posted on social media channels, such as videos of climbers walking over (and even over) the bodies of the dead and dying, sparking a moral debate and raising questions about respect for human dignity.
While documentation of mountain environments, including accidents, like documentation of conflict or war, can serve legitimate journalistic, educational and historical purposes, the unfiltered publication of such images, sometimes taken out of context, is undoubtedly offensive and shows a lack of respect for the deceased, their families and friends.
The UIAA, which represents member federations from more than 70 countries, recognizes that cultural and religious differences mean how bodies are disposed of can vary widely. For example, cremation is not possible on the peaks of the Himalayas, which are over 8,000 meters above sea level. Burial is also usually not an option unless there is a crack nearby.
It was also realized that the bodies of climbers who died in such circumstances often had to remain where they died because the bodies could not be moved. It is difficult to imagine the mentality of those climbers who, when passing by the bodies of unfortunate victims, stopped to take pictures unless it was possible to pass them privately to the families of the deceased. It’s even harder to imagine the mindset of someone who chooses to post photos of these dead climbers on social media. This strongly violates the spirit of the Declaration.
An analysis of one of the Declaration’s messages is not a call for censorship but for humanity. The tragedy on the mountain should never be viewed as a spectacle. Behind every accident is a person, a story, and a community that deserves dignity and care. In this regard, we urge climbers to conduct themselves in the manner in which they would like to be treated and further advise expedition leaders to ensure that their party members conduct themselves in a sensitive manner when encountering the bodies of deceased climbers on the mountain. In this way, the dignity of all climbers is safeguarded.
